Closure device for pneumatic dispatch carriers



Nov. 1, 1927. 1,647,788

W. H. DINSPEL v CLOSURE DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC DISPATCH CARRIERS Filed Nov. 5, 1925 INVENTOR.

- ing material is to provide a carrier Patented Nov. 1,1927.

UNITED STA WILLIAM HENRY DINSPEL,

OF NEW YORK, Y.', iASSIG'NOR TO G. &'G.

ATLAS SYSTEMS,

, 11\T C.,'0F NEW YORK, N. Y, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CLOSURE DEVICE FOR IIYI'EUIVL A'JTIC. DISPATCH CARRIERS.

Application filed. November 5-, 1926.

While, as has been indicated, this construction has gone into extensive use, 1t is" nevertheless open to the objection that unless care is exercised in fastening the closure parts in closed condition the parts are likely to fly open in transit .with a resulting occasionalloss of-the contents of the carrier or a jamming of the following carrier with the unfastened closure parts and the blocking of the transit tube. I

A general object of the present invention structure which will be free from the objectionable features referred to and which will provide for the automatic closing of the carrier shell when the closure member is released following the Opening of the same by. an attendant.

The invention consists of a carrier structure in the form of a shell open at, one end and provided with a closure member in the form of a stopper or, plug adapted to fit within theedge of the open end of the carrier. A feature of the invention resides in the use of a resilient tension member attached at one end to the innerend of the stopper member andat the other end to the inner surface of the closed end of the carrier, the tension member serving to automatically draw the stopper member into closing relation to the open end of the carrier when the stopper is not being held in withdrawn position by the attendant.

Another feature of the. invention resides in the preferred use of relatively soft and yieldsuch as felt, rubber, or the like, in-the construction of the stopper. The use of such material obviates injury to the hands of dispatchers and others whose duties call for frequent handling of the carriers.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, n which a number of travel thereof. The

10has a flare conformation'and is provided Serial No. 146,402.

embodiments of the invention, have been selected for illustration Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in vertical section of a pnuematic dispatch carrier equipped with a closure device which includes an embodiment of the invention and showing the closure partsv in closed position; a 1 v,

Fig. 2 is a view in perspectiveshowingthe device shown in Fig. 1 with the parts in open position; S

Fig. 3 isa sectional view of a portion-of a carrier device showing a modified form ofclosure means; I

Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing still another form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of ananchoring member used inconnection with the improved closure device. I f j Referring to the drawings for a moredetailed description of the invention, in Figs. 1 and 2 there is'shown a pneumatic dispatch carrier of a well known or standard type which includes acylindrical shel llO formed of leather or the like, the forward end of the shell being fitted with a sheet metal portion 11 which supports a terminal buffer member 12 formed of felt orsimilar yielding or cushioning material. Between the forward endof the cap 11 and the adjacent end of the bufier 12 is, a flexible vane 13 which. functions to fill the transittube' and to prevent leakage of air past the carrier in the with a flexible skirt member 14 which functions in a manner similar to the functioning of the vane 13 already referred to. The flared open end of the carrier or shell also serves to provide a seat as at 15 for aclosure member which in Fig; 1 is shown in the form of a hollow ball 16 formed in this instance I of rubber- The stopper or plug member 16, which forms the closure device proper,'is attached to one end of a retractile spring member 17 which is attached at itsother end to an anchoring member 18 attached to. the inner surface of the forward end of the carrier. This construction provides a resilient pull on the stopper member 16 which tends to normally hold the stopper or closure member against the seat 15 in closing relation to the open end of the shell 10.

It will be seen that the yielding nature of other end of, the shell the coil spring 17 provides for the ready removal of the stopper 16 from its engagement with the seat 15 formed by the open end of the carrier 10 so that articles, such as papers or slips 19 may be placed within the carrier for transmission to a distant station in the building. Upon release of the stopper 16 following the insertion of slips 19 into the shell, the spring 17 acts to immediately pull the stopper 16 to closing relation to the open end of the shell.

Not only does the spring 17 act to move the stopper into closing relation to the shell but the tension of the spring is constantly exerted to maintain the stopper in its proper closing relation to the shell. This feature obviates the possibility of loss of the contents of the shell during transmission of the shell through the tubes and also eliminates theheretofore known tendency of following carriers to engage open closure parts of the carriers in advance to thereby produce a jamming or clogging action of the tube.

In order to prevent an excessive withdrawing action ofthe stopper 16 from the end of the shell 10, a check or limiting device is provided which takes the form of a flexible chain 19 extending through the bore of the coil spring 17 and terminating in a ball 20 or other enlargement which will engage the inner end of the spring and prevent further elongation thereof. It will be clear that instead of making use of the ball 20, the end of the chain 19 may be attached to a rigid part, such as the anchoring member 18, for the same purpose.

Vhile I have referred tothe stopper 16' as having the formation of a hollow ball formed of rubber, I contemplate also the use of felt as a'material from which to construct the stopper, as is indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The stopper 21 shown in this figure'may have a relatively flat outer face, as at 22,,and provided with a beveled portion 23 for engagement with the correspondingly beveled face of the seat 15. In this form of the invention, the yielding nature of the felt stopper not only obviates injury to the fingers of the dispatchers but, in addition, the nature of the felt provides a frictional surface which facilitates seizing and moving the stopper to open position.

Still another form of the stopper is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The stopper 24L shown in this figure is formed of wood, hard rubber, celluloid, or other similar material, and preferably has a grooved formation 25 in its side which forms in turn a flange or rib to facilitate seizure of the stopper member for manipulating the same. It will be seen that in all the forms of theinvention described, the feature of automatic replacement of the stopper in a seat when released by the attendant is shown. It will also be seen that the improved closure device described facilitates the handling of the carriers and generally expedites the work sincethe operation of simple withdrawal of the stopper from its position inorder to insert articles into the carrier is capable of more rapid accomplishment than the correspondlng operation of opening fastener members, then opening a hinged closure member, and then replacing the closure member and re-engaging the fastener members in the order named which is characteristic of prior constructions such as have been already referred to. The terms and expressions which I'have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any mechanicalequivalentsof the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that variousstructural modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Vhat I claim is: 1. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end, closure means for the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to fit within the open end of the shell, and resilient means attached to the inner end of the stopper member and to the interior surface of the shell for normally holding the stopper in closing relation to the open end. of the shell. I

2. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end,

closure means for the shell consisting ofa stopper member adapted to fit within the open end of the shell,and an elongated spring member attached at one end to the inner end of the stopper and at the other end to the interior surface of theshell for normallyholding the stopper in closing relation to the open end of the shell.

3. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end,

closure means for. the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to fit'within the open end of the shell, and an elongated resilient member attached at one end tothe inner end of the stopper member and at the other end to the inner surface of the closed end of the shell, whereby to normally hold the stopper in closing relation tothe open end of the shell. 7

4. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end, closure means for the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to 'fit within the open end of the shell, and a spiral spring of the contractile type attached at one end to a central point of the inner end of the stopper member and at the other endto a central point of the inner surface of the closed end of the shell.

5. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end, closure means for the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to fit Within the open end of the shell, resilient means attached to the inner end of the stopper member and to the inner surface of the shell for normally holding the stopper in closing relation to the open end of the shell but permitting the removal of the stopper in order to insert articles in the-shell, and a tensile member arranged to prevent excessive Withdrawal of the stopper from the open end of the shell.

6. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shell having an open end, closure means for the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to fit Within the open end of the shell, a spiral spring of the contractile type attached at one end to the inner end of the stopper member and at the other end to the inner surface of the closed end of the shell, a tensile member attached at one end to the stopper member and extending through the bore of the spiral spring, said tensile member having a greater length than the length of the spiral spring when contracted andprovided with an anchorage for its inner end Whereby to prevent excessive elongation otthe spring. v

7. In a pneumatic dispatch carrier construction, a hollow shellhaving an open end, closure means for'the shell consisting of a stopper member adapted to fit within the open end of the shell, and resilient means attached to the inner end'otthe stopper member and t0 the inner surface of the shell for normally holding the stopper in closing relation to the open end of the shell, and said stopper member being formed of yielding material such as felt.

WVILLIAM HENRY DINSPEL. 

